Alamo, Chupacabra stars of TV horror flick

Only on television! San Antonio, the Alamo and that legendary creature that has been a staple of local newscasts for many a sweeps period – the Chupacabra – star in a new TV movie.

“Chupacabra vs. The Alamo” is slated to debut on SyFy channel at 8 p.m. March 23, and not only brings back the comedy/horror genre, but Erik Estrada (seen second from right in photo), the heartthrob of “CHiPS.”

He’s back on that trademark bike and zooming down the highway to save the day at the Alamo (or some kind of TV version of it).

According to a Syfy summary and a recent press release, Estrada stars as DEA Agent Carlos, who quickly realizes that the rash of violence in his Texas town might not be gang-related after all.

Instead, it is the work of the Chupacabras, who use drug-smuggling tunnels to get around; and in their hunt for food, they are making their way to San Antonio.

When the Chupacabras attack the city, Carlos is forced to team up with a band of outlaw gangsters to battle a horde of the blood-sucking creatures — culminating in a final gory confrontation at the Alamo. Julia Benson (“Stargate Universe”) and Nicole Muñoz (the upcoming Syfy series “Defiance”).

I can’t wait to see how they create these monsters via the magic of special effects!

Location info for the film isn’t available — at least not at this writing — but I’d bet a year’s paycheck that the Daughters of the Republic of Texas here would never let a crew from a crazy flick like this one near the real Alamo.

P.S. The legend of the Chupacabra, which also is referred to as “Latino Bigfoot” because of the many sightings in Hispanic communities, first surfaced in 1995, when eight sheep were found drained of blood at a Puerto Rico farm. Since then, many a carcass, believed to possibly belong to the creature (such as the one below from a KENS-TV report), have shown up in news stories.